Systems and methods for testing poultry responsiveness

Abstract

A system and method for testing the reflexes of poultry, the system comprising a camera, a processor, a beam generator, and a beam direction control unit. The camera is configured to receive a plurality of first images of a poultry house, the plurality of first images comprising at least one of a poultry area and a background area; the processor is configured to calculate a first activity force based on the plurality of first images, and to determine whether the first activity force is lower than a target activity force threshold. The beam generator is configured to emit a beam. The beam direction control unit is configured to move the beam. If the first activity force is lower than the target activity force threshold, the beam is emitted by the beam generator and moved by the beam direction control unit to cause a disturbance to the plurality of poultry in the poultry house. The method comprises comparing the first activity force and a second activity force to evaluate a reflex.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a system and method for testing, and more particularly to a system and method for testing the responsiveness of poultry. Background Technology

[0002] According to poultry farmers' experience, poultry health is reflected in physiological information such as responsiveness and vocalizations. Farmers need to patrol the poultry houses to collect information on the poultry's health. However, frequent entry and exit of poultry is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and also increases the risk of poultry contracting infectious diseases.

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to establish a system for testing poultry responsiveness to collect poultry responsiveness information, help farmers to monitor the health status of poultry in real time, and reduce the burden of poultry house management. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, in one aspect of this disclosure, a system and method for testing the responsiveness of poultry are proposed, which can improve the aforementioned problems.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a system for testing poultry reactivity is provided, comprising: a camera for receiving a plurality of first images of a poultry house, the plurality of first images including at least one of a poultry area and a background area; a processor for: calculating a first activity level based on the plurality of first images; and determining whether the first activity level is lower than a target activity level threshold; a beam generator for emitting a beam; and a beam direction control unit for moving the beam; wherein if the first activity level is lower than the target activity level threshold, the beam is emitted through the beam generator and the beam is moved through the beam direction control unit to disturb a plurality of poultry in the poultry house.

[0006] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for testing poultry responsiveness is proposed, comprising the following steps: receiving a plurality of first images of a poultry house, the plurality of first images including at least one of a poultry area and a background area; calculating a first activity level based on the plurality of first images; determining whether the first activity level is lower than a target activity level threshold; and if the first activity level is lower than the target activity level threshold, perturbing a plurality of poultry in the poultry house by emitting a light beam and moving the light beam.

[0007] To provide a better understanding of the above and other aspects of this disclosure, specific embodiments are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system for testing the responsiveness of poultry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0009] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for testing the responsiveness of poultry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0010] Figures 3A to 3D A schematic diagram illustrating a method for calculating activity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 4A A schematic diagram illustrating the activity of poultry stimulated by laser according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein in Figure 4A Laser scanning stimulation was performed at the fourth minute.

[0012] Figure 4B A schematic diagram illustrating the activity of poultry stimulated by laser according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein in Figure 4B Laser-guided stimulation is performed at the fourth minute.

[0013] Figure 5A A schematic diagram illustrating the determination of significant differences in activity levels in 4-6 week old poultry before and after laser stimulation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5B A schematic diagram illustrating the determination of significant differences in activity levels in 7-10 week old poultry before and after laser stimulation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6A A schematic diagram illustrating the activity level of poultry in a normal state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 6B A schematic diagram illustrating the activity of poultry under heat stress according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a system 100 for testing the responsiveness of poultry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for testing the responsiveness of poultry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] The system 100 for testing poultry responsiveness includes a camera 10, a processor 20, a beam generator 30, and a beam direction control unit 40.

[0019] The following is Figure 2 The flowchart describes the method for testing poultry responsiveness using a system 100, which includes at least steps S110, S120, S130, S140, S150, S160 and S170, as detailed below.

[0020] In step S110, the camera 10 receives several first images of a poultry house, the first images including at least one of a poultry area and a background area. In one embodiment, the camera 10 may be a visible light camera and / or an infrared thermal imager. In one embodiment, the camera 10 may receive visible light, infrared light, or 3D images to monitor the beam L (e.g., a laser) emitted by the beam generator 30 to calculate the poultry's activity level. In one embodiment, the camera 10 may be connected to the beam generator 30 (e.g., a laser generator or laser module), connected to a rotating mechanism, or independent of the beam generator 30 and the rotating mechanism; there is no limitation thereto.

[0021] In step S120, the processor 20 calculates a first motion force based on the first image.

[0022] There are multiple procedures for calculating a first kinetic force based on the first image P1 in step S120. The following describes one of them using steps S121 to S124.

[0023] In step S121, please also refer to Figure 3A The processor 20 is further configured to: binarize each of the plurality of first images P1 to distinguish the poultry region from the background region in each of the plurality of first images P1. In one embodiment, consecutive thermal images (e.g., detected by an infrared meter) can be binarized to distinguish the poultry region from the background region. Figure 3A As shown, in the binarized image, white represents the poultry area and black represents the background area.

[0024] In step S122, please also refer to Figure 3B The processor 20 is further configured to: divide each of the plurality of first images P1 into a plurality of image units U. In one embodiment, the first image P1 may be divided into n 10×10 pixel grayscale units. Figure 3B As shown, the binarized image can be divided into several image units.

[0025] In step S123, please also refer to Figure 3C The processor 20 is further configured to: calculate the density of poultry regions in each of the plurality of image units U. In one embodiment, for each of the binarized plurality of image units U, a score of 1 is given if the poultry region is larger than the background region, and a score of 0 is given if the poultry region is smaller than the background region, and a total score is calculated to represent the density of the poultry regions in each of the plurality of image units. In one embodiment, for each of the binarized plurality of image units P1, white represents a poultry region and is scored 1, black represents a background region and is scored 0, and the whiter the unit color, the higher the poultry density at that location (0-100). Figure 3C As shown, in each image unit U, within a 10×10 pixel region, if the poultry region is larger than the background region, the score is 1; if the poultry region is smaller than the background region, the score is 0. The total score (e.g., a total score of 55 points) is calculated to represent the density of the poultry region in this image unit U. Finally, the density of the poultry region in each image unit U can be integrated to form the density distribution of the poultry region in this first image.

[0026] In step S124, please also refer to Figure 3D The processor 20 is further configured to: calculate the density changes within all the plurality of image units U between consecutive plurality of first images P1, and calculate the sum of the density changes within all the plurality of image units U to obtain the first activity force. In one embodiment, the density change of each image unit U can be obtained by subtracting each image unit U in two consecutive first images P1 and taking the absolute value, for example, by using the following formula to obtain the density change of each image unit U. And calculate the sum of density changes within all of the plurality of image units U to obtain the first kinetic force. For example... Figure 3D As shown, if the first image P1 has 9 scored image units U, denoted by positions D(1) to D(9), at time point t-1, position D... t-1 (1) All white indicates a density score of 100 for the poultry area, while other locations are all black, indicating a density score of 0 for the poultry area. At time point t, location D t (5) is completely white, indicating that the density score of the poultry area is 100, while other positions are completely black, indicating that the density score of the poultry area is 0. That is to say, during the period from time point t-1 to time point t, the poultry moved from position D(1) to position D(5), so the density change at position D(1) is -100 and the density change at position D(5) is 100. The poultry activity during the period from time point t-1 to time point t is calculated by summing the absolute values ​​of the density changes at all positions D(1) to D(9).

[0027] In one embodiment, a camera 10 (including a visible light camera and an infrared thermal imager), a beam generator 30, and a beam direction control unit 40 can be integrated onto a processor 20 (e.g., an embedded Raspberry Pi) to establish a poultry image reaction assessment system. This system can, for example, be mounted at a height parallel to the ground. The system can determine whether to activate a beam (e.g., a laser) to perform a reaction test based on activity status values. In one embodiment, during the reaction test, the system can collect activity changes and image records before (2 minutes), during (1 minute), and after (2 minutes) the scan. Edge computing is then performed using a processor such as a Raspberry Pi, and the activity changes and image records are uploaded to a cloud system (not shown).

[0028] In one embodiment, the activity level values ​​obtained from steps S121 to S124 can be uploaded to a cloud system (not shown) to monitor the activity level of poultry in commercial poultry houses. In one embodiment, during short-term activity level monitoring of poultry, the activity level values ​​are calculated at a frequency of 1 second. In one embodiment, during long-term activity level monitoring of poultry, the experimental poultry house is equipped with environmental control devices such as fans and misting systems. Studies have found that, according to steps S121 to S124, the daytime activity level values ​​of poultry are higher than the nighttime activity level values, because poultry are born with night blindness. Experiments have confirmed the feasibility of calculating activity level based on density changes.

[0029] Other methods for calculating a first activity level based on the first image P1 in step S120 may include, for example, using a camera and detecting poultry activity level using optical flow (see MSDawkins, R. Cain, and SJ Roberts, “Optical flow, flock behaviour and chicken welfare,” Animal Behaviour, vol. 84(1), pp. 219-223, 2012. FM Colles, RJ Cain, T. Nickson, ALSmith, SJ Roberts, MC Maiden, D. Lunn, and MSDawkins, “Monitoring chicken flock behaviour provides early warning of infection by human pathogen Campylobacter,” Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 283(1822), 20152323, 2016.), or using pixel intensity changes in consecutive images to assess activity level indicators (see Youssef, V. Exadaktylos, and DABerckmans, “Towards real-time "Control of chicken activity in a ventilated chamber," Biosystems Engineering, 135, pp. 31-43, 2015. G.A. Fraess, C.J. Bench, and K.B. Bierney, "Automated behavioural response assessment to a feeding event in two heritage chicken breeds," Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 179, pp. 74-81, 2016.), and algorithms for calculating poultry activity using infrared thermal imaging to calculate poultry density changes (see C. González, R. Pardo, J.). MD Valdés, JJ Rodríguez-Andina, and M. Portela, “Real-time monitoring of poultry activity in breeding farms,” IECON 2017–43rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, IEEE, pp. 3574–3579, 2017.), or combining deep learning object detection models and multi-object tracking records of poultry activity trajectories to calculate activity dynamics (see Khairunissa, Jasmine, et al., Detecting poultry movement for poultry behavioral analysis using the Multi-Object Tracking (MOT) algorithm. 2021 8th International Conference on Computer and Communication Engineering (ICCCE). IEEE, 2021.).

[0030] In step S130, the processor 20 further determines whether the first activity level is lower than a target activity level threshold. As used herein, the target activity level threshold refers to a minimum warning value, which, for example, can be set to 10 based on the minimum warning value calculated according to steps S121 to S124. When it is detected that the activity level calculated according to steps S121 to S124 is lower than the minimum warning value (e.g., set to 10), it indicates that the poultry may be in a resting state or a state of heat stress. As used herein, heat stress refers to the situation where any factor causes an animal's body to generate too much heat, exceeding the rate of heat elimination, resulting in an increase in the animal's body temperature and affecting its health. Generally, excessive heat generation can be divided into endogenous and exogenous causes. For example, if a flock of poultry is disturbed by external factors (light, dense feeding, handling process), causing restlessness and vigorous exercise that leads to excessive heat generation, this is considered endogenous heat generation. If the ambient temperature is high, and external heat enters the body, this is considered exogenous heat generation.

[0031] In step S140, if the first activity force is lower than the target activity force threshold, a beam L is emitted through the beam generator 30 and the beam direction control unit 40 moves the beam L to disturb several poultry 101a in the poultry house 101.

[0032] In one embodiment, the beam generator 30 may be, for example, a laser generator, and the beam direction control unit 40 may be, for example, a galvanometer module. Thus, using laser as a stimulus source, different stimulation methods are employed to stimulate poultry, and the poultry's response is assessed through visual observation and changes in activity levels. Figure 4A As shown, at the 4-minute time point, poultry underwent laser scanning stimulation, and their activity levels were monitored. Figure 4B As shown, at the 4-minute mark, poultry were subjected to targeted laser stimulation, and their activity levels were monitored. From Figure 4A and Figure 4B The comparison shows that laser stimulation by scanning is too dynamic and has little effect on poultry, while laser stimulation by fixed point is more likely to arouse the curiosity of poultry and cause them to gather.

[0033] In another embodiment, the beam generator 30 may be, for example, a laser generator, and the beam direction control unit 40 may be, for example, a dual-axis rotation mechanism, particularly a dual-axis rotation mechanism rotatable in the X-axis or Y-axis directions respectively. In another embodiment, the beam generator 30 may be, for example, a laser generator, and the beam direction control unit 40 may be, for example, a rotation axis, wherein a mirror on the rotation axis can change the direction of the laser. In another embodiment, the beam generator 30 may be, for example, a laser module having multiple laser generators, and the beam direction control unit 40 may be, for example, a single-axis or dual-axis rotation mechanism, which can simultaneously provide multiple stimulation sources in the poultry house 101, increasing the difference in responsiveness before and after.

[0034] In step S150, the camera 10 also receives several second images P2 of the disturbed poultry house 101, the second images P2 including at least one of the poultry area and the background area.

[0035] In step S160, the processor 20 is further configured to: calculate a second motion force based on the second image P2. There are multiple methods for calculating the first motion force based on the second image P2 in step S160, one of which can be implemented similarly to steps S121 to S124 described above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0036] In step S170, the processor 20 is further configured to: compare the first activity force and the second activity force to evaluate a reaction force.

[0037] There are several procedures for comparing the first and second activity forces in step S170 to evaluate a reaction force. The following describes one of them using steps S171 to S172.

[0038] In step S171, the processor 20 is further configured to: determine whether there is a difference between the first active force and the second active force.

[0039] In one embodiment, a significant difference in activity levels in poultry before and after laser stimulation was assessed to evaluate responsiveness. For poultry aged 4 to 6 weeks (n = 44 individuals) (e.g. Figure 5A (as shown) and 7 to 10 weeks old (number of individuals n = 63) (as shown) Figure 5B (As shown) The variation in activity level of poultry during the reaction test was used to determine the difference in maternal mean. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5A The p-test results for the differences in activity levels at 1 minute and 2 minutes were p = 0.55, p < 0.001 for the differences between 2 minutes and 3 minutes, and p < 0.001 for the differences between 3 minutes and 4 minutes. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 5B The p-test results for the differences in activity levels at 1 minute and 2 minutes were p = 0.49, 2 minutes and 3 minutes were p = 0.15, and 3 minutes and 4 minutes were p < 0.001. This indicates that there was no significant difference in activity levels in the first two minutes before laser stimulation (p > 0.05), suggesting that the poultry's activity levels were consistent and close to the set threshold before stimulation. There was a highly significant difference in activity levels between 4-6 week old poultry before and at the time of laser stimulation (p < 0.01), indicating that the poultry's activity levels changed due to the attraction of laser stimulation. There was also a highly significant difference in activity levels between the time of laser stimulation and after the laser was turned off (p < 0.01), indicating that the poultry's activity levels changed after the laser was turned off, and observation through video showed that most poultry went to forage.

[0040] In step S172, if the first activity force and the second activity force are not different (p>0.05), the beam generator 30 emits the beam L again and the beam direction control unit 40 moves the beam L again to disturb the poultry 101a in the poultry house 101 again and issue an alarm.

[0041] In one embodiment, thermal stress response data is collected. For example... Figure 6A As shown, at the 4-minute time point, laser stimulation was applied to assess the responsiveness of poultry with low activity levels in a normal state. Furthermore, as... Figure 6B As shown, at the 4-minute time point, laser stimulation was applied to poultry under heat stress to assess their responsiveness. It can be seen that the activity level of poultry in a normal state significantly increased after laser stimulation (see...). Figure 6A Poultry under heat stress exhibited low activity levels after laser stimulation (see [reference needed]). Figure 6BTherefore, the system 100 and method disclosed herein for testing poultry responsiveness can be used to detect poultry under heat stress, thereby helping farmers to monitor the health status of poultry in a timely manner and reduce the burden of poultry house management.

[0042] In summary, although this disclosure has been presented above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure shall be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A system for testing the responsiveness of poultry, characterized in that, The system for testing poultry responsiveness includes: A camera for receiving a plurality of first images of a poultry house, the plurality of first images including at least one of a poultry area and a background area; A processor, used for: A first kinetic force is calculated based on the plurality of first images; and Determine whether the first activity level is lower than a target activity level threshold; A beam generator for emitting a beam of light; and A beam direction control unit for moving the beam; If the first activity level is lower than the target activity level threshold, the beam is emitted through the beam generator and the beam direction control unit moves the beam to disturb several poultry in the poultry house. The camera is also used for: Receive a plurality of second images of the disturbed poultry house, the plurality of second images including at least one of the poultry area and the background area; and The processor is also used to: A second kinetic force is calculated based on the plurality of second images; and Comparing the first activity force and the second activity force to evaluate a response force includes the following steps: Determine whether there is a difference between the first activity force and the second activity force; and If the first activity force and the second activity force are not different, the beam generator emits the beam again and the beam direction control unit moves the beam again to disturb the poultry in the poultry house again and issue an alarm.

2. The system for testing poultry responsiveness as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processor is also used to: The first activity force and the second activity force are uploaded to a cloud system.

3. The system for testing poultry responsiveness as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to include the following steps in the step of calculating the first kinetic force based on the plurality of first images: Each of the plurality of first images is binarized to distinguish the poultry region from the background region in each of the plurality of first images; Each of the plurality of first images is divided into a plurality of image units; Calculate the density of the poultry region in each of the plurality of image units; and The density change within all the plurality of image units is calculated between consecutive plurality of first images, and the sum of the density changes within all the plurality of image units is calculated to obtain the first kinetic force.

4. The system for testing poultry responsiveness as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: in the step of calculating the density of the poultry region in each of the plurality of image units, for each of the plurality of image units, score 1 if the poultry region is larger than the background region, score 0 if the poultry region is smaller than the background region, and calculate a total score to represent the density of the poultry region in each of the plurality of image units.

5. A method for testing the responsiveness of poultry, characterized in that, The method for testing poultry responsiveness includes the following steps: Receive several first images of a poultry house, the several first images including at least one of a poultry area and a background area; A first activity force is calculated based on the aforementioned plurality of first images; Determine whether the first activity level is lower than a target activity level threshold; and If the first activity level is lower than the target activity level threshold, a light beam is emitted and the light beam is moved to disturb several poultry in the poultry house, and several second images of the disturbed poultry house are received, the several second images including at least one of the poultry area and the background area. A second kinetic force is calculated based on the plurality of second images; and Comparing the first activity force and the second activity force to evaluate a responsiveness, wherein the step of comparing the first activity force and the second activity force to evaluate the responsiveness includes the following steps: Determine whether there is a difference between the first activity force and the second activity force; and If the first activity force and the second activity force are not different, the beam of light is emitted and moved again to disturb the poultry in the poultry house and to issue an alarm.

6. The method for testing poultry responsiveness as described in claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes the following steps: The first activity force and the second activity force are uploaded to a cloud system.

7. The method for testing poultry responsiveness as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The step of calculating the first kinetic force based on the plurality of first images includes the following steps: Each of the plurality of first images is binarized to distinguish the poultry region from the background region in each of the plurality of first images; Each of the plurality of first images is divided into a plurality of image units; Calculate the density of the poultry region in each of the plurality of image units; and The density change within all the plurality of image units is calculated between consecutive plurality of first images, and the sum of the density changes within all the plurality of image units is calculated to obtain the first kinetic force.

8. The method for testing poultry responsiveness as described in claim 7, characterized in that, In the step of calculating the density of the poultry region in each of the plurality of image units, for each of the plurality of image units, if the poultry region is larger than the background region, the score is 1, and if the poultry region is smaller than the background region, the score is 0, and a total score is calculated to represent the density of the poultry region in each of the plurality of image units.

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